NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
OCTOBER 2002
1st-5th…While Hurricane Lili was barreling toward the Gulf Coast with 135 mph
winds, Wyoming's first snowstorm of the season dropped more than a foot in
the mountains, a welcome sight in areas parched by several years of drought.
Clouds were spread into portions of east Texas, western and southern Louisiana
through southern Alabama, in the moisture field tapped into ahead of Lili; high
pressure remained in control of the rest of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast,
leading to partly cloudy to fair skies. In central Wyoming, about 16 inches of
snow fell in the Wind River Mountains. A front moving from the Rockies over the
Great Lakes and southern Plains brought overcast skies to the region. Rain and
storms were reported along the front's boundary in parts of the Upper Midwest.
In the West, light rains were reported in Las Vegas and Flagstaff, AZ. A few
clouds were found along the southern mountains of California to the southern
coast, but the Pacific Coast and Desert Southwest were mostly dry and fair.
The scattered remains of Hurricane Lili brought heavy downpours to portions of
the Midwest and through the Tennessee Valley. Parts of Wisconsin, Michigan and
Illinois received heavy rain and winds; gusts near 60 mph were reported near
West Bend and Germantown, WI. A second area of rain stretched over central and
southern Indiana, central Kentucky through northeastern Alabama. A warm front
stretched from the lower Great Lakes to near the upper Mid-Atlantic, while high
pressure held clouds in place over much of New England, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. Most of the rest of the country was dry and fair or partly cloudy,
except for portions of the eastern Dakotas, Iowa and Minnesota that received
rain. Isolated showers also hit southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas, as well
as the northern Rocky Mountain states.
6th-12th…Clouds covered the East Coast from New England to the Gulf Coast Monday,
while heavy rains that fell in southern states earlier in the day dissipated to
light showers. Scattered, light rain fell in New England, with heavier totals in
the Mid-Atlantic states, especially Tennessee, on Monday morning. By afternoon,
the rain had turned into isolated showers across the southern states. A warm
front over the northern Plains and northern Rocky Mountains brought cloudy skies
and scattered showers to eastern Montana, the Dakotas, and parts of Minnesota
and Wisconsin. Low clouds and fog covered much of the Pacific Coast, while the
rest of the West and much of the country saw sunny to partly cloudy skies and
dry weather.
Clouds blanketed much of the East Coast on Wednesday, stretching from the
Carolinas up to Maine, while nearly the entire country west of the Mississippi
remained clear. Rain fell over parts of Texas, Oklahoma and the lower
Mississippi Valley. There was light cloud cover through Nebraska, Kansas and
over the plains in Colorado and eastern New Mexico. Clouds enveloped the Ohio
River and Mid-Atlantic, but little rain fell. Isolated showers were reported
over South Carolina and northern Florida. High-level clouds crossed from the
lower and eastern Great Lakes into New England, but the region remained dry. The
western third of the nation remained dry and fair, although clouds lingered over
parts of Washington, Oregon and the California coast.
Heavy rain fell Saturday in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic while an intense cold
front drastically changed temperatures in the Plains and Rockies. A warm front
in the north Atlantic and a storm system that was once Tropical Storm Kyle
dumped rain from the Carolinas to Maine. Wind up to 30 mph lessened by morning
as Kyle moved quickly out to sea. Massachusetts recorded over two inches of rain
in places, and lighter amounts fell inland and south. A strong cold front
brought much cooler temperatures to the north-central United States. Colorado,
Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota recorded temperatures 20 to 30 degrees lower
than Friday. Light snow fell in North Dakota, but much of the region was dry.
Partly cloudy skies and dry conditions dominated the West Coast.
13th-19th…Showers spread across parts of Texas and some coastal sections of the
Southeast on Monday, while strong wind blew across the upper Midwest. A storm
system moving eastward through the South spread rain and light showers across
central, southern and eastern sections of Texas. Showers and thunderstorms also
formed along the Gulf Coast of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and
the Florida Panhandle, More showers and thunderstorms were scattered over the
Florida Peninsula and along the Atlantic Coast of Georgia, South Carolina and
North Carolina. In the upper Midwest, isolated showers and a few snow showers
developed over eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Blustery wind blew
across the region, with gusts to 51 mph at Pierre, SD; 45 at Garrison, ND; 45 at
Jackson, MN; 40 at Estherville, Iowa, and 30 at Minneapolis. Elsewhere, high
clouds spread across central and southern California into Nevada, with fog
forming along parts of the California coast.
Heavy rain blew across the Northeast as a nor'easter moved along the coast
Wednesday, while rain and light snow fell in the middle of the nation. Low
pressure sliding northward along the East Coast brought rain from North Carolina
to Maine and westward into Ohio and Kentucky. The heaviest precipitation
extended through central Pennsylvania, eastern New York and parts of New
England. Along with rain, the weather system produced strong wind. Peak gusts
included 45 mph at New York's La Guardia Airport; 41 mph at Rhode Island's
Block Island; 37 mph at Boston, and 38 mph at Belmar, NJ. In the middle of the
country, cold air flowing southward across the Plains caused rain in eastern
sections of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, the western edges of Iowa and
Missouri and northwestern Arkansas. Radar also showed a few rain and snow
showers scattered from eastern Montana into parts of Wyoming, western Nebraska
and southern Minnesota. Elsewhere, a few showers were scattered over south
Florida. In the Southwest, light rain in parts of New Mexico and west Texas.
A storm system moved through the Mississippi Valley on Friday, bringing snow to
the northern reaches of the nation and rain farther south. A second system
brought rain to the southern Plains and southwest. Clouds covered the area from
Montana into western New York and Pennsylvania, with rain reported in southern
Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. The same storm system brought snow showers to
Minnesota, North Dakota and northern Wisconsin, with a total of 5 inches
reported in Wadena, MN. Blustery weather also was reported from the Dakotas
through the Great Lakes, with winds gusting to 30 mph. Scattered showers and
storms, some severe, were found over New Mexico, with winds up to 50 mph and
hail nearly an inch in diameter. Steady rain and thunderstorms were reported in
parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. The Rockies, Great Basin and
Pacific Coast states were dry and fair, with the exception of the Pacific
coastline, where low clouds and fog lingered.
20th-26th…Snow fell Monday across the north-central part of the nation, with as
much as 10 inches in Minnesota, and showers and thunderstorms were scattered
across the southern tier of states from New Mexico to the East Coast. Cold air
flowing into the northern Plains and upper Great Lakes produced snow across
northeastern Montana, North Dakota, northern and central Minnesota, a wide area
of Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A mixture of rain and snow fell
over eastern Upper Michigan and east-central Wisconsin, and rain fell along a
band through southern Wisconsin across central Iowa. In the southern half of the
nation, thunderstorms and showers rolled through parts of central and eastern
Texas, and into sections of Louisiana. Farther east, thunderstorms were
scattered over southern Georgia and parts of Florida. Showers extended from
Georgia through the Carolinas into Virginia. Elsewhere, isolated light showers
formed over north-central Nevada.
Light snow spread across sections of the Plains states and some parts of the
Northeast on Wednesday, and rain fell on parts of the southern Plains and along
the Gulf Coast. Snow fell across the southern half of South Dakota, Nebraska,
western Iowa and western Kansas, and isolated snow showers were scattered over
parts of Montana, Wyoming and northeastern Colorado. One to 2 inches of snow
fell in South Dakota and Nebraska, with 3 inches at Wellfleet and Valentine, NE.
Very light snow also was scattered along the southern edge of Minnesota and in
parts of Wisconsin and northern Michigan. In warmer air to the south, rain and
occasional freezing rain moved across the rest of Kansas, Oklahoma and northern
Texas, and moved into the western fringes of Missouri and Arkansas. Nearly an
inch of rain fell at Wichita, KS. Isolated light rain showers formed in parts of
northern Illinois, northern Indiana and northern Ohio. Farther east, wet snow
fell in upstate New York during the night. The snow was generally light but
stuck to parked cars and grassy areas, the National Weather Service said. Light
rain fell in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In the South,
rain and occasional thunderstorms were scattered along the Gulf Coast from
southern Texas into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Elsewhere,
scattered showers and a few thundershowers formed during the afternoon from
southern Idaho into northeastern Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, northern and
central Arizona and New Mexico.
Relatively tranquil weather prevailed across the country Friday, with showers in
several areas but few heavy storms. The most severe activity was along the Gulf
Coast, which saw scattered showers and thunderstorms that hit Louisiana the
hardest. Scattered showers occurred over portions of south Texas. Temperatures
in the Northern and Central Plains were 10 to 15 degrees below normal, and light
rain was reported in many locations, including New York, the Mid-Atlantic and
Great Lakes states and Southern California. The central Rocky Mountains saw
trace amounts of rain and snow, with some brief gusty winds.
17th-31st…A trio of storm systems across the nation Monday brought heavy rain to
the southern Plains, scattered showers and snow to the Rockies and Upper
Midwest, and clouds mixed with rain over the Southeast. A deep upper storm
system was tracking across the New Mexico and Texas border, bringing rains to
the southern Plains. Heavier rains prompted flash flood warnings in parts of
Texas and Oklahoma. A frontal boundary stalled along the northern front range of
the Rockies through the northern Plains brought mainly cloudy skies over Idaho,
Montana and Wyoming through the Upper Midwest. Scattered precipitation fell from
parts of the Great Basin all the way to northern Minnesota, where the
communities of Alexandria and Eveleth received a light dusting of snow. Other
clouds were spreading into the Great Lakes and pushing into the interior and
southern New England states, which were mainly dry. A frontal boundary across
the lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley and the Mid-Atlantic brought
clouds and rain to the Southeast. Rain and storms roamed the region; nearly an
inch fell in Crossville, Tennessee and Roanoke, Virginia. The Desert Southwest
and California and the western Great Basin area were dry, with partly cloudy to
fair conditions.
Rain moved across the East Coast states Wednesday, and areas of light snow were
scattered from the Rockies to New England. During the morning, showers were
scattered across the East from northern Florida through parts of Georgia, the
Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
As the wet weather moved eastward and out to sea during the afternoon, a few
thunderstorms trailed along a line stretching across central Florida, with heavy
rain reported around Winter Haven. Afternoon showers lingered in parts of
Maryland and New Jersey. In colder air to the north, snow fell across parts of
Pennsylvania and the southern edge of New York state. In the West, mostly light
snow was scattered over sections of southern Idaho, northern Utah, south-central
Montana,Wyoming, western South Dakota and northern Colorado. Light showers
spread from eastern sections of Nebraska and Kansas across Iowa and parts of
Missouri and into western Illinois. Around the colder side of that area of
showers, light snow fell on parts of Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota and
southern Minnesota.